Container for preserving food



March 27, 1956 M. W. PUGH CONTAINER FOR PRESERVING FOOD 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 18, 1955 l; E E

E :I E @o United States Patent CONTAINER FOR PRESERVING FOOD Marcus W. Pugh, Washington, D. C. Application September 18, 1953, Serial No. 330,930

2 Claims. (Cl. 220-83) The present invention relates to means for preserving food by ice or Dry Ice refrigeration and more particularly to special packing and shipping containers adapted to be exteriorly packed with ice so as to be out of contact with the perishable interior contents.

The new present day food freezing techniques are eficient and effective, but such techniques are expensive and require expert handlers. For example, complex apparatus is required to first treat and then properly freeze the food to be packaged to avoid the so-called freeze-burn, non-uniform freezing and the like. Because of this, it is desirable to develop a packaging and storing system of much lower cost than possible with present day techniques and also to provide a system of refrigeration which will not adect the natural tiavor of the food.

While the present invention is particularly adaptable to packaging and preserving cut-up fowl, it is to be understood that all varieties of food may be included herein, such as meats, fish, vegetables and the like.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a novel refrigerated food holder constructed for maximum eiciency and minimum economy in food handling, and preserving by refrigeration.

Another object is to provide a receptacle formed with open sides and an open bottom formed from a single blank.

Another object is to provide a sheet metal top adapted to permit nesting and stacking of a plurality of specially formed food receptacles for maximum refrigeration when surrounded with refrigerant, such as crushed ice or Dry lce, said top also serving to shield and protect the contents of each adjacent lower receptacle from drainage from the upper receptacle.

Still another object is to provide a slatted flat sheet pattern having sides, special end-walls and a bottom portion adapted to be folded and secured into an erect receptacle by a special tab arrangement carried by the sides of the pattern, which bend around an adjacent Slat on each end of the sides.

Another object is to form foraminous receptacles from a single blank of sheet metal, such as tin and to coat the same with a food preservative compound.

Yet another object is to provide a novel shaped and proportioned receptacle, so as to have a relatively smaller bottom portion than the top thereof, to thereby leave an ice supporting ledge around the top of each receptacle and a plurality of ice-receiving spaces when the same are stacked in a master container for shipment.

A further object is the provision of a special protective closure or top for a foraminous tray or receptacle for an individually cut up fowl or the like, said top being formed with a tray stacking centering rib thereabout and at least two securing tabs insertable in the adjacent foramina or openings in the tray or receptacle sides and around a slat or the like to hold the same erect for use.

The above and other objects of the present invention will appear more fully hereinafter from a consideration of the detailed description which follows, taken together with the accompanying drawing wherein one embodiment of the invention is illustrated. It isto be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended as a definition of the limits or scope of the invention.

In the drawings, wherein like reference to like parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a dat pattern sheet of an unfolded container made according to the present invention, as by cutting and stamping the same from a single sheet of'v material;

Figure 2 is a perspective view vof the container or tray erected with the novel closure sheet and protective Stacking top or cover secured in position;

characters refer Figure 3 is a side elevational view ,of the closure sheet with its depending securing tabs formed therewith;

Figure 4 is a section view taken of a master container and showing a plurality of stacked trays or containers therein packed in ice for shipment; and

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the arrangement in` Figure 4 and with the top of the master container removed.

Referring lto the drawings and first with particular reference to Figure l, there is illustrated a singlevpiece;

of sheet material A suchas 20 gauge tin or the like.

Plastic sheet material could be used, if` desired. This.

sheet A is stamped 'or cut into the several elements of .la tray or container, said elements comprising al bottom 11b, side walls i1 and l2 and end walls 13 and 14.

ri`he end walls 13 and 14 are formed with bendable securing tabs 15-16 and 17-18, respectively, for use when erecting the container. Also the end walls are shaped like a trapezoid and arranged so that the larger base of the trapezoid is at the free edge of each of the respective end Walls and the opposite parallel sides of the trapezoid or each side of each end wall converges into the width of the bottom 10 at each end thereof. Thus when the tray or container is folded erect with the free ends of each of the side walls aligned along the free side edges of the trapezoidal end walls and the respective tabs secured over each end slat of the side walls, the top rim of the tray defines an area larger than the bottom wall l0, see Figure 2. Also, because of this the side walls l1 and 12 are at an angle greater than 90 degrees with respect to the bottom 10.

When the erected tray is packed with food, such as a cut-up chicken or the like, the same is closed by a sheet material cover 19 having a continuous depending side flange 20, securing tabs 21 and 22, see Figure 3, and a stacking centering means, such as a continuous upstanding bead or rib 23. This bead or rib 23 embraces the bottom lil of one of the novel tray members when stacked therein as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings.

When the trays are stacked in a master container M with the bottoms 10 nested on their respective adjacent covers lg and embraced by their respective ribs 23, the relatively smaller bottoms l@ thereof leave a continuous ledge 24 on which may rest a refrigerant, such as crushed or Dry ice and a plurality of openings B between the adjacent foraminous or slatted sides of the trays, likewise are receptive of crushed or Dry Ice or the like.

lf the sheet material used is a metal, such as tin, then the same may be coated with any food protective medium, such as well known to the canning industry.

Each container or tray blank A may be stamped and formed with the openings and slats in one operation, so that rapid mass production is assured. Also, the slots and slats may be formed in dierent directions and at ditferent angles, if desired.

Also, the tops or covers with or without the continuous stacking beads, may be likewise formed by one stamping operation.

Erection of each tray is very simple and rapid and may be further facilitated by fold or crease lines 25, 26, 27 and 28 as shown by the dot and dash lines in Figure 1. After folding along these lines to erect the respective side and end Walls, then the tabs .1S-16 and 17--18 are folded over and around a respective adjacent slat or the like of each end of each side wall as shown in Figure 2. The tray is then packed and closed by application of the sheet cover 19, the securing tabs 21 and 22 being bent around the top slat of each trapezoidal end wall as shown in Figure 2.

After a group of twenty-four trays has been packed these packed trays are then stacked and packed in ice in a master container for shipment as shown in Figures 4 and 5.

Without further description it is believed that the present invention should be clear to others skilled in this art and although only one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated and described, it is to be expressly understood that various changes may be made without departing from the scopeof the invention. For example, changes may be made in the particular sheet material and shaped of the elements. For a definition of the scope of the invention, reference should be had to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:l

1. A container for preserving food by refrigeration, comprising a single foraminous sheet of material and including a bottom wall, opposite side walls, and opposite end walls, the bottom and side Walls being rectangular in form and the end walls being trapezoidal in form with the top edges thereof being longer than the bottom edges, whereby the side walls diverge upwardly from the bottom wall, and an imperforate rectangular sheet metal cover for said container having a continuous depending marginal flange engageable over the upper edges of said side and end Walls, said cover being provided with a continuous upstanding rib of rectangular form and whose inner width and length is equal to the external Width and length of the bottom portion of the container for snugly receiving and positioning another like container.

2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein each of said end walls is provided with a bendable tab projecting from each lateral edge thereof and which tabs extend through and around the foramina at the opposite ends of said side Walls for retaining the side and end walls in container forming position, and a bendable tab projecting downwardly from the lower edge of said depending marginal flange at each end thereof and which tabs extend through and around the foramina at the upper edges of said end walls.

References Citedin the file of this kpatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 338,179 Morvil Mar. 16, 1886 128,927 i Trissler July 9, -1872 478,049 Cooper June 28, 1892 647,378 Darrow Apr. 10, 1900 1,045,932 Beckworth Dec. 3, 1912 1,717,974 Heinrichs June 18, 1929 1,873,720 Piker Aug. 23, 1932 2,057,449 Schmidtke Oct. 13, 1936 2,080,283 Loewenfels May 11, 1937 2,412,528 Morrell Dec. 10, 1946 2,476,948 Sanford July 19, 1949 2,567,322 Curtis Sept. 11, 1951 2,649,991 Woock Aug. 25, 1953 

